Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-06
CARPENTRY AND COOKERY.
Manual Training for EOys and Girls
i'm the Public Schools.


Manual Training for Boys and Girls
i'm the Public Schools.
THE rLANs FOR THE COMING YEAR-rgacHYRs TO RE
tMFLoYEp AND SEVERAL SCHOOLS TO RE EsTAB-
IrsHED-sErAL AND WOOD WORK FOR BoYs-cooK-
INC FOR GIRLS
For two years the Washington High School has
been the scene or an extensive experiment in the
way OF the manual trafCing OF public school pupils
as branch or the work of public education. Dur.
Ing the first year the shop, as it was termed
eramped In its extent and effectiveness. the num-
Dor OF boys receiving instruction being necessarily
limited to about forty. The instructor was one oil
the teachers Of physics and was able to devote but
short space OF time each week to the work In
carpentry, which formed the first step in the ex.
pertinent. The boys were taught the elemental
theories and practice Of the joiners art and were
given a short course in wood-turning
The experiment or the first year was regarded
as sufficiently successful to warrant its cOntinu.
ance last year unoer ol1erent plan and with en-.
leading chronological Institutions OF the country
was employed and at additional room given no
In the basement of the school for this purpose BY
means OF the unexpended portion OF an old con-
tipgelt fund Commissioner Webb was enabled to
secure soncient tools for the new enterprise,
and the boys OF the school manufactured the
necessary work benches. Instead OF forty, two
hundred and forty boys received instr,Ietion one
chise plane and the other tools OF the carpenters
trade.
This, as has been said, was, to certain extent,
for practical results by the Commissioners and the
school trustees, by whom 1t was pronounced an
unquanfed success at the close of the past school
year.
CHAIRMAN CURTIS VIEWS
A STAR reporter called on Mr.. W. W. Curtis who
is the chairman CT the committee on manual
training OF the board of trustees, and asked his
opinion OF the work and its results.
"Well, can say With assurance, that the work
at the High School last year and the year before
has been eminently successful; so much so, In
deed, that our COMMITTEES has decided to recon-
mend It's continuance and its development. The
appropriation Tor this purpose at our disposal is
too small to admit or any extensive operations,
good schools doing good service to a few at first
instead OF spreading our moneyOut far that it will
Ie TOO tnin TO 90 any good We propose to enlarge
opposite, which is admirably adapted to the pur-
pose, and employing three teachers. This will
AFFORD , aeeommodat!ons for all OF the High school
pupils and number OF those OF the second divl-
sion as well. In the Jefferson and the Peabody
buildings we will start manual training schools,
schools, cannot say, but believe that they are
70 De provided with ample accommodations. In
the JEFFERSON and the Peabody schools we may be
iorCed 10 umlt the instruction to the pupils OF the
higher grades, possibly the eighth, but hope to
give as much instruction TO as many pupils as our
funds will permit,
~ hoSon6 a FEATURE OF PUBLlC INSTRUCTION.
IL believe" he continued, "that the manual
training OF students is destined to become nee
essary factor In our public instruction. The
effects produced on the pupils are both mental and
pnysacaL ~ rs rellef 10 the brain when the
pupil can lay aside his books for an hour and
srappie Win more tangible materials than Alge-
Dra1c quantities and Latin verbs. 1t teaches them
valuable methods In carpentry, and In many ways
1t is undoubtedly beneficial"
I'm what way do you propose to develop the
work in case OF its success?" be was asked
"By giving better instruction to more pupils"
was the response. "That Is, our methods and the
extent OF the work viii be gradually enlarged, so
that in time, as we hope, the entire public school
system WIN be provided with manual training
and metal working. At present We shall have to
connne our operations within narrow limits"
"What Is to be done in the way Of Instruction in
coOklng? asked the reporter.
That y something OF which know but little"
replied MI: Curtis superintendent Powell has
and In CONSEQUENCE he would be- better ' n9aed
to speak than /. But / believe that something is
TO be done In this direction during the coming
year. In the Peabody school 1t Is proposed to eS-
tablisn a cooking school with one teacher. There
will also be one In the building Of which have
spoken, opposite the High school, with one teacher.
Normal School graduates for this work, as a few Of
them nave been receiving especial training for
this purpose"
THE REsULrs.
"Do you think that practical results can be OBJ
"Yes, do" was the reply. 81 believe that we
can teach tho High School GIRL or any other girl.
how to cook decent meal, and even more and
that Is something more than many Of them can do
now. There have at times been given in this city
lectures by different parties ON cooking and kin
dred topics but they have aimed too high In their
plans, and IN consequence the cooking that has
peen taught by these methods has been useless to
the ordinary girl, although 1t might suf11ce for
such places as WelekerS or Wormley's. With all
Of their apparatus and paraphernaIia, the modern
cooking school looks more like a surgeons Office
Than practical Kitchen. What with machines
for Doning turkeys and cOntrvanceS for doing the
work without soiltng the fingers the instruction is
OF very little value. Now what we propose is to
overcome the objections to this WORK which the
people have formed, by teaching the girls TO 60
into the kitchen and cook meal with taste and
economy, and particularly with economy, for it Is
essential In the most OF our families that each
condiment be made to go as far as possible. When
we have accomplished that the High School girl
graduate can snap her fingers at the newspapers
and, with head and hands combined, can show the
world that her education Is not valnelesS"